How many 16 × 16 × 12 in cartons fit on a US 48×40 pallet?

12 cartons of 16 × 16 × 12 in (406 × 406 × 305 mm) fit on a US 48×40 pallet, 48 × 40 in (1219 × 1016 mm): 4 cartons per layer, 3 layers within a 47.2 in (1200 mm) stack height including the pallet.

Best pattern: Pinwheel

Cartons sit lengthwise, long side along the pallet's length. Four cartons rotate around the center like a windmill, using space that straight rows would strand.

Why this pattern here: The carton's length plus width is 32 in (813 mm), which fits inside both the 48 in (1219 mm) and 40 in (1016 mm) deck edges, so four cartons can rotate around the center and reclaim space that straight rows would leave stranded.

Pattern comparison

Several layouts tie at 4 of these 16 × 16 in cartons per layer (grid 4, split-row 4, pinwheel 4). The tool selects the Pinwheel pattern because when counts are equal an interlocking layout beats a plain grid on load stability. 3 layers reach 41.7 in (1060 mm) including the 5.7 in (146 mm) pallet deck, at 53.3% of the deck footprint.

No better-interlocking layout exists for this carton on this deck within the computed patterns. Stack it column-aligned, corners over corners, and rely on stretch wrap or strapping for lateral stability.

These figures assume the height limit binds at 47.2 in (1200 mm). Weight is not shown here because it depends on the actual carton weight, the interactive calculator also enforces a max payload per pallet.

Nearby carton sizes on the US 48×40 pallet

• 16 × 16 × 16 in (8 cartons)
• 16 × 12 × 12 in (24 cartons)
• 20 × 16 × 12 in (12 cartons)
• 18 × 18 × 12 in (12 cartons)
• 14 × 14 × 14 in (12 cartons)
• 18 × 12 × 12 in (21 cartons)